The Clock that Stops Ticking
by Muffin the Imaginary Penguin
Summary: "As long as I can still hear the ticking, I know you are still here for me." Steampunk AU, OOC Rated M for my own paranoia
1. Biology Lesson

**Chapter One: The Biology Lesson**

Excerpts in this chapter were taken from _Humans vs. Gears, the History of Our Civilization _and _Biology 104_.

* * *

Introduction of _Humans vs. Gears_:

In the older days, the population was made of humans. They were born with cells and oxygen-rich blood, rather than the gears that we are all made of today, along with synthetic skin. We know now that they were weak creatures that were far too susceptible to disease. Humankind, as they were called, has evolved to the higher form of life, us.

_Homo Machinam_ is the scientific name for our species, more commonly known as the Gears. The nickname originated in the presence of gears and minute engines in place of an estimated 60% of cells. The other 40% is a majority of synthesized organs and flesh, along with small percentages of other parts that allow us to remain as healthy as we are today. Our physical attributes and habits make us far superior compared to 700 years ago.

Our current forms are owed to the leading science research group, the union of the Ootori Group and the Suhoh family. Their top genetic manipulators engineered the first population of Gears, who are now known as the Clockwork People. The first population group resulted in the development of the most practiced religion of our time, the Adherents of the Clocks.

The development of our proud, happy race took many years, but we stand tall and look to a bright and happy future.

* * *

Section Four (The SoulMate Initiative) of _Biology 104_:

100 years after the beginning development of our race, it was discovered that an individual person tends to be more mechanically compatible to another certain individual than anybody else. After extensive study, it was also discovered that the couple was compatible in other attributes, such as physically, mentally, sexually, and through their personality. Unfortunately, when this information was discovered, there was no definite way to determine whether you have met your SoulMate or not, and 79% of the population died without ever having a suspicion that they knew their SoulMate or not.

The descendants of the Ootori Group and Suhoh family joined again, and the second union resulted in the SoulMate Initiative.

They developed the Initiative by manipulating individual strands of the Gears DNA. They altered small portions using trial and error, until the flesh of the Gears no longer covered the delicate mechanisms of the palms. After decades of work in the labs, this became normal and natural.

On the left hand, there is an opening, working in ways similar to a key hole, where a small piece of the machinery is missing. This absence does not hinder any processes other than leaving a slightly uncomfortable sensation in that area. On the right hand, there is a piece that extends out of the hand, also not hindering any movement, but causes an uncomfortable sensation. Certain surgeries are available to remove the uncomfortable feeling, while keeping the same physical appearance of your hands.

In a SoulMate pair, the mechanisms of the hands match up perfectly, along with a thin wire that is only visible the first time the gears connect. The wire works as a connector from one Gear mind to another, allowing you to learn about your mate, downloading information of the basics. Those basics include likes, dislikes, allergies, etc.

Once you find your SoulMate, you will start to hear a ticking sound. It is noticeable, but not distracting in everyday life. The ticking is the sound of your mate's gears, designed to let you know if your SoulMate is still functioning correctly or not.

This concludes Section Four of _Biology 104_. For more information, see page 494. For practice regarding the care of your mate's gears or any other possible situation, see questions 11-16.

* * *

Section Ten (Ages), page 494 of _Biology 104_:

People, on average, find their SoulMate in their late teens. The age could vary based on differing location or growing rate, but there are rarely pairs found many years before or after their late teens.

* * *

"Kaoru! Put down that textbook it is nothing but nonsense!" Haruhi yelled from the front door to their shared apartment. She always knew what the teen was up to, even when he covered the book cover. "There is nothing wrong with being 17 with no SoulMate. The authors of those textbooks just make generalizations based off of pregnancy rates and the largest generation populations." She set her leather messenger bag down on the table, along with her city-issued gas mask, the lenses nearly covered in the green Dust of pollution that covered everything.

"Shouldn't you at least try to clean off the Dust before putting it on the table?" Kaoru asked, avoiding eye contact.

"Shouldn't you clean the grease and oil off your face after spending the day in the workshop?" She retorted, handing him a rag that was once white, but was now nearly brown and stained, to wipe the grime off of his face.

"Where is Kasonada? He's always here before you." He set the rag in the metal hamper by the couch and took off his 5-lense goggles. His orange hair was squashed flat where the straps of the goggles rested, but the rest was as spiky as usual.

"Buying new gloves. He made a few extra coins at work today and his old gloves wore through. He decided to put off finding his SoulMate for another year." Haruhi ruffled his hair as she walked to the coat closet, leaving behind a light sprinkling of the Dust. She removed the light cloak she wore every day since Kaoru saved up the money to buy it for her, rather than stealing it from the shops. It was once ink black with light brown embroidery, but the black faded into brown and grey, matching the thread that formed the decorative stitches. Under the cloak she wore a muddy red leather jacket and parchment colored blouse, along with thick work pants that were tight enough to wear her tall boots over them.

"He was going to take me into the city to practice what he taught me. Before I forget, thank you for taking out the Extras and Shockers before you came inside." Haruhi nodded in response and went to the kitchen to start cooking one of the few things that we can eat, Nutrition Packs. Before she started, she made sure to wrap a scarf around the exposed gears of her neck.

Something you should know about today is that there are four types of Gears: Shiners, Shockers, Clankers, and the regular people.

Haruhi was a Shocker. They commonly worked as either law enforcement officers or private guards of the Ouran Building. They had excess energy that ran in charges through their hands, chest, and neck. They also had certain areas of the body that allowed for removable weapons, also known as Extras.

Kaoru was a Clanker. They didn't have any extraordinary physical characteristics, but they possessed the ability to absorb any information and save it, always remembering everything. Clankers now worked as repairmen and inventors. They were designed to assist in leading the city, but were shoved down the social ladder instead for not being Shiners.

Finally, there were the Shiners, called so because they lived their entire lives in Ouran Building, completely free of the Dust that covered the city. They often had optional extensions because they could afford it, being the richest of the rich. It was exceedingly rare for a Shiner to leave the Ouran Building, which was a skyscraper that contained their living condos, restaurants, entertainment areas, and shops.

No matter what equality existed with the Clockwork People, it would never be the same. There was the clean, and then there was the rest of the city. They were always separate.

"Kaoru, just put down the textbook for one night. I promise you are going to find your SoulMate." Haruhi called out to him from the other room. Kaoru nodded and tossed the book to the other side of the couch.

Haruhi smiled at the sound and turned on their static-filled radio in time to catch the end of their favorite station.

"Just as a quick reminder, the Dust is going to be thick tonight so get any outside business done before 9:00 pm. Remember that you only receive a replacement gas mask if you can show the damaged mask to the worker. If your mask was misplaced or stolen, the replacement of said mask is not the responsibility of the city.

"In more interesting news, two of our favorite Shiners have found each other. That's right; Tamaki Suhoh and Kyoya Ootori have released the information of their newfound status as a SoulMate pair. The couple has joined the other SoulMate pair in their exclusive friend group, Hunni and Mori. What does this mean for the orphan Hikaru that was taken in by the Suhoh family when he was a baby?

"Catch our exclusive interview with the teen's adopted father tonight." Cecil Baldwin, the one of the few true news reporters, signed off and static filled the apartment once again.

"Why can't they leave the Shiner gossip alone? Nobody cares anymore other than the Shiners themselves. Nobody on the outside knows what any of the mentioned Shiners look like." Haruhi muttered, attempting to scrub the Dust and grime off of the counter, to no avail.

"I agree. I'm sort of glad I'll never have to look at one." Kaoru agreed before pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them. He didn't want anything to do with Ouran Building or it's inhabitants.

* * *

Hello. I do not own Ouran High or anything else mentioned. Speaking of which, I mentioned another popular fandom in this chapter if anybody can catch it. I hope you enjoy the story and it will be put on ao3 tomorrow. :)

Song of the Chapter: Inspector Gadget by Chrispy


	2. The Tragic Life of Shiners

**Chapter Two: The Tragic Life of a Shiner**

"Tamaki, did you take my best leather jacket?" Hikaru shouted out to his adopted brother, looking throughout the shining halls of one of the floors of Ouran Building that belonged to them, getting closer and closer to Tamaki's bedroom. "Tamaki, did you hear…" The rest of the question died in his throat when he saw him wearing the jacket and laying on his bed. The only odd thing was that Kyoya was straddling his legs without a shirt on and his correcting goggles were tossed to the side.

Kyoya stared at Hikaru, frozen in the position he was in while previously kissing down Tamaki's chest. Both of the male's visible gears were working at nearly double the pace, showing that they were definitely enjoying it. "Daddy, I believe we have company." He said to his mate in his usual monotonous voice.

"Just…send my jacket into Cleaning when you're done." Hikaru instructed before leaving the room. He started wandering through the halls again, relieved to not be surrounded by people who wanted something from him.

"Hika-chan!" He heard Hunni's voice, the product of a slightly faulty voice box that hasn't fully matured yet. The shorter Shiner ran up to him, grinning. "What are you doing all by yourself?"

"Nothing, just felt like being alone for a while." He replied, attempting to give the older boy a smile.

"You could have come to the Cake Café with me and Mori. You're always welcome." Mori caught up at this point to his SoulMate, making him smile wider and jump up to the tall man's shoulders.

"You guys know I can't right now. It's hard for me. You're all mated and I'm the odd one out." Hikaru told the two, even though the words were more directed at Mori. Out of Hikaru's four friends, Mori always understood why Hikaru spent most of his time alone. Mori nodded and slightly smiled. Hikaru smiled back and walked back to his room.

He sat down at his desk and opened one of the few open feeds to chat over video, a usually unused mode of communication. The feed he joined the most was nicknamed "Mateless and Almost Proud." The feed paired individuals with one other person, so you could vent your feelings or talk about your day or anything. You rarely personally knew the person it paired you with.

This time it paired him with a Shocker. She was wearing a scarf over her neck, but he could still see the faint glow of the excess energy. The teenage girl ran a hand through her short brown hair and frowned.

"Kaoru? I thought you were going to go to bed early tonight." Now it was Hikaru's turn to be confused.

"Who's Kaoru?"

"Ha ha, very funny. You trick me by pretending to go to bed but really you hack the feed to make fun of me. Go back to bed." The screen went black, showing that the girl had logged off.

"Well that was awkward." Hikaru muttered to nobody in particular before starting to arrange his bed differently from how the servants made it. Ever since he was adopted by the Suhoh family at age four, he could never sleep with all of the pillows under his head. Some nights he suffered from terrible nightmares brought on by loneliness, so he arranged some of the pillows as though another person was lying with him. "Goodnight."

* * *

"Hey, were you online earlier?" Haruhi asked Kaoru, barging into his room.

"What? No, I've been reading." He pointed at the haphazard stack of old books on the edge of his desk. She looked at him, then to the large stack, confused, before shaking her head and going back to her room.

Kaoru shrugged and went back to his worn and dog-eared copy of the _SoulMate Properties_. Some might say he was obsessed with finding his mate, but he was just lonely. Throughout most of his life he had terrible dreams often, and he wanted somebody to cuddle up to at night to feel better and know he wasn't alone in the world. It may sound cheesy, but even Haruhi and Kasonada believed that people like Kaoru weren't meant to be alone. Haruhi constantly worried about him and though she never said so, it was obvious with how she acted around him.

She didn't say anything to him when he was up into the early hours of the morning from not being able to sleep, messing with his growing collection of spare parts. She held her tongue when Kasonada taught him how to pickpocket and shoplift from people to add to said collection. She was reaching the extent of her restraint on the matter, knowing the longer he went without finding his SoulMate, the worse it was going to get.

* * *

The next day…

* * *

"Are you ready to go, Kaoru? I told you we were going into the city today." Kasonada knocked on the teen's bedroom door with one hand and put on a thin scarf to cover the flesh between his gas mask and jacket with the other. The door finally opened, revealing a fully dressed Kaoru.

He was wearing tight black pants tucked into mid-calf leather boots with a long-sleeve black shirt and a matching jacket. He nodded as he pulled on his 5-lens goggles before wrapping a thick scarf around his hair, neck, mouth, and nose to act as the gas mask that somebody stole from him. "I'm ready."

They had to walk into the city since the only public transport in the area broke down and the roads in the poorer parts of the city were closed. Kasonada attempted at starting up a few conversations, but Kaoru didn't fall for it. They both knew that Haruhi told Kasonada to take Kaoru into the city was because she was worried about him being alone while she was at work.

When they arrived at the shopping Center, Kasonada pulled Kaoru to the side and handed him a printed list and a small pouch of coins. "Here is half the list Haruhi gave me, and half of the coins. I trust you to take care of this half yourself, so make sure you get a receipt and keep the change. Don't talk to anybody except the shop keepers. We'll meet back here later." On that note, Kasonada walked into the crowd of people with his half of the money and shopping list, and Kaoru was left deep in the city by himself for the first time.

* * *

"I'm going out." Hikaru repeated, answering Tamaki's repeated question of "Where are you going?"

"But that doesn't answer my question!" He nearly shouted from his spot on Kyoya's lap.

"Leave it alone, daddy. He isn't going to tell you." Kyoya murmured into the blonde's ear, calling Tamaki "daddy" at his insistence and habit of calling his SoulMate "mommy". The blonde pouted and leaned on his SoulMate's shoulder.

"Have fun, Hikaru. Don't leave the building." Tamaki half-heartedly joked. "Don't leave the building" was a running joke in Ouran Building, ever since a group of Shiners left the building twenty years prior, and when they came back they tracked Dust and grime everywhere, taking months to clean it completely off.

Hikaru nodded and put his never-used gas mask into his shoulder bag. "Of course I won't. I'm not stupid." He called over his shoulder, getting into the elevator that would take him to the shopping areas on the lower floors. He walked quickly through the aisles of shops, ignoring the salespeople that constantly tried to convince him and his friends to shop there.

After the hallway was clear of shops, Hikaru kept walking and snuck into the never-used fire-escape staircase that led to the world outside of Ouran Building. He put on his gas mask awkwardly, having only put it on once in school for health class.

He stood still for a few moments, taking a few deep breaths to dissolve the knot of nervousness that settled in his torso. The workings of his chest were moving at double the pace, making the rest of his body fight to keep up.

"You can do it, Hikaru. Don't be a coward." He muttered to himself, slowly lifting his hand to the opening mechanism and opening the door to the outside world.

* * *

Hello again. Just so you know, I'm planning on updating twice a week, but sometimes I might not be able to. I hope you enjoy the story.

Song of the Chapter: Counting Stars by One Republic

I would like to thank my wonderful beta who helps translate the writing that happens when I get inspiration while half asleep.


	3. The Pickpocket and the Aristocrat

**Chapter 3**

**The Pickpocket and the Aristocrat**

The first thing Hikaru realized that it was hot outside. Hot enough to seriously consider removing his layers of clothes, only to keep them on due to the fact that the Dust would kill him. In the Ouran Building, the temperature was meticulously monitored and controlled to keep from damaging the incredibly valuable Shiners. Outside, the Dust smothered any cool air and acted like a blanket over the city. He saw the green specks clinging to the lenses of his gas mask and tried to scrub them off to no avail.

"Okay, Hikaru. You made it outside. Where to now?" He asked himself, tugging his jacket closer around him like a security blanket. He walked down the fire escape stairs, carefully skipping the steps that looked nearly completely rusted through. When he made it to the ground and looked at the city around him, he nearly fainted out of shock at how different it looked.

In the Ouran Building, everything was made of polished metals and other top-of-the-line materials. Outside, everything was bleak and lifeless. Dark pollution clouds blocked out most of the light and the cobblestone roads had too many potholes to even think about using a vehicle on it. Light posts in varying degrees of rust provided light on each block corner.

There were people exiting buildings all around before following each other in the same direction. Hikaru stood there, dumbfounded, while people weaved around him impatiently. One man with inky black hair with an undercut bumped into Hikaru before readjusting his green cloak with wings on the back and the numerous leather straps running up his legs and torso, cussing up a storm.

"Hey, fucking brat, watch where you're standing. We all need to get to the Center."

"What's in the center?" Hikaru asked, trying not to look like a complete idiot.

"Everybody knows what the Center is, idiot, the place where all the shops set up once a week. Are you suffering from a lack of air or some shit up there?" He asked sarcastically. Was that a height joke?

"A height joke from the dwarf? That is hilarious." He snapped back, unable to help himself due to the man's annoying nature.

The stranger scoffed and walked away, followed by a taller and lankier man with brown hair and the same outfit. Hikaru followed the crowd as they made their way to the "Center." It was a large open space with plenty of booths and carts packed into the areas that weren't already packed with people.

Overwhelmed with all the activity surrounding him, he ducked into an open space behind a booth and dug around in the pockets of his shoulder bag. He took out the Serial ID Card and his emergency coins and put them both in his back pocket. After checking that everything was secure, he started to wander around the Center.

* * *

"Thank you, ma'am." Kaoru told the saleslady, taking the sealed bag of Quietus, a powder that covers the sound of the excess energy, mostly sold to Shockers like Haruhi who needed it for fieldwork. The powder was the last thing on this half of the shopping list, so he tucked it into the bag with everything else and returned to the alley to meet up with Kasonada.

The crimson-haired man was waiting there, leaning against the dirty wall and holding his half of the products from the shopping list. He held out his gloved hand to take Kaoru's bag and put it on the same shoulder as his when Kaoru handed it to him. "Alright, let's get back to the apartment before the rush hits." He turned and started to walk back to the apartment building. Kaoru grew more and more nervous as he walked further.

"H-hey, Kasonada?" Kaoru stuttered, messing with the fringed edge of his scarf.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay for a little longer? I have a bit of money from the repair jobs I've been doing and I've never been here for this long before. I promise I won't get into any trouble and I know the way back to the apartment like the back of my hand." Kaoru kept his eyes glued to the ground beneath his feet, not wanting to see the reaction of the guy he had known for most of his life.

"Sure. Just make sure you get home at least an hour before curfew, and don't spend your honest money all on useless junk." With that, Kasonada turned around and walked back to the apartment with both bags.

Kaoru grinned so wide he had to rearrange his scarf so it wouldn't fall off. He checked that he still had his Serial ID Card and money, putting them in his back pocket.

He walked through the crowds to the opposite side of the Center, where the mechanical booths were stationed; looking forward to buying some of the parts he needed that he couldn't manage to steal. On the way there, he was distracted by one of the more expensive booths that people rarely stopped at, displaying jewelry and other luxury items that people didn't usually bother with. Having plenty of time to look at machine parts, Kaoru stopped at the booth and looked for a present for Haruhi, since the anniversary of her saving his life was soon.

* * *

_Flashback…_

His first clear memory was of him coughing into a ratty blanket, sitting on the steps under an awning of an apartment building. It was pouring rain outside, causing everyone who had any sense to stay inside, except Kaoru had nowhere to go. The rain had been going on all week, and it rusted up parts of his arms and legs, rendering them useless. He sneezed into the blanket and sighed when he saw more grease come up, meaning that his chest was going to lock up soon. Young Kaoru closed his eyes and curled up in a tighter ball when he felt the rain stop.

"You shouldn't be out here in the rain by yourself." A girl the same age as him was covered head to toe, holding an umbrella over the both of them.

"I used to have somebody, but they left." Kaoru said, trying to shift away from the rain but not being able to move properly.

"You're all rusted up. You should come upstairs; my daddy can fix you up." She stood up and brushed off her pants before helping Kaoru up and inside slowly. "Any longer in this weather and you'll rust to death."

* * *

Kaoru smiled to himself at the memory when he saw a beautiful necklace that would look great on Haruhi. It was simple but pretty, and just her taste. "What is this made of?" He asked the saleslady, holding up the clear box with the necklace in it. The woman took a careful look at what the box contained and smiled.

"That is made from silver and sapphire, the two rarest materials in the recovered city. It is a great piece, you have a good eye, son." She went off on an obviously pre-rehearsed spiel about the necklace and how great a find it was.

"How much does it…" Kaoru began to ask before getting cut off by an approaching person of the exact same height and build, with a gas mask that was a little too clean.

"You can't honestly be stupid enough to believe her. Silver and sapphire, my ass. I can't believe anybody is a big enough idiot to think that necklace is made of anything but metal alloy and plastic gems. I severely doubt the intelligence of some of the customers here." The male told Kaoru before taking the necklace out of his now limp hands and putting it back on the table. "Think next time." He added, watching Kaoru look down to the ground, incredibly embarrassed and angry.

Before he could consider the consequences of his actions as the young man began walking away, Kaoru deftly and sneakily reached out, taking the pouch and Serial ID Card from his back pocket and walking home. The only thing he could think about on the walk back was how he was going to explain it to Haruhi and Kasonada.

* * *

Hello, I don't own Ouran or anything mentioned.

Speaking of that, I mentioned two things in this chapter. I'll give you a hint, one is from an anime and the other is from a movie, both of which I love.

The song of the chapter is: Your Ex-Lover is Dead by Stars

If you think you can identify anything that is mentioned in any of the chapters, review or PM me :) I'd love to see who is paying really close attention and knows what I'm talking about.


	4. Panic of Two

Chapter 4

The Panic of Two

There was no easy way to explain to Haruhi that he broke his promise. She agreed to let him go into the city with Kasonada if he promised to be on his best behavior, to not steal anything or be rude to anybody. Kaoru slowly walked back to the apartment, the Serial ID Card and pouch of coins burning a hole in his pocket, making his heart and stomach drop to the cobblestone ground.

He made it back far earlier than Haruhi or Kasonada expected, and he took his time taking off all of his layers and hanging them on the cleaning rack that stopped working years ago.

"Kaoru? I expected you to stare at those clock parts for a few more hours." Kasonada remarked amusedly from where he sat on the couch. Haruhi was sitting next to him, staring into a mirror and testing the new powder.

"I-um, I have to tell you guys something." Kaoru told them, sitting down stiffly in the chair across from them. They looked up at him expectantly and he looked at the old and worn carpet beneath his feet. "I…um…stole something while I was there."

"Kaoru Fujioka! You promised me you wouldn't steal anything while you were there! What did you take?" Haruhi yelled, putting the powder and mirror away. Kaoru retrieved the stolen items from his pants pockets and set them on the table. "You stole both an ID Card _and _money from somebody." Disappointment drowned her voice, making Kaoru wish the carpet would just swallow him whole.

"I-I didn't see who it was. The man was just so rude to me about the necklace I was going to but you and it made me so upset that I got carried away. I'm sorry." Kaoru looked at her and almost cried at how upset and disappointed he made her feel. Haruhi sighed and opened the wallet sleeve that covered and protected the card.

"Kaoru go to your room and tinker around or something." She said as she stared at the card. Kaoru nodded and scurried off to her room, closing the door behind him.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on him? He looked like he was going to cry." Kasonada asked, not looking up from his book. Haruhi shook her head and collected the discarder sleeve and bag of coins.

"I have some stuff to do." She went to her room with the items and shut the door, leaving Kasonada to his reading in the main room.

* * *

Sneaking into the Ouran Building was much harder than sneaking out, but it wasn't impossible. It took Hikaru an hour and a half of climbing up ladders and picking the locks of the outside and staircase door. Hikaru stood in the escape staircase that he left from so he had somewhere to hide his stuff. He took off the layers that weren't worn among other Shiners and folded them up before carefully putting them into the sealable bags he brought with him.

Once he had all of the extra layers off he checked his inner pockets to make sure he had everything. He accounted for everything he needed, except for the two things that nobody in the city was stupid enough to be without. Their Serial ID Card and their money.

He worriedly checked all of his pockets and his bag to no avail. They were gone. He quickly packed everything up and left the stairwell slowly, going the long way upstairs to avoid encountering any other Shiners. When he got to the Suhoh floors of the Ouran Building he was glad to see that Honey and Mori were nowhere to be found and that Tamaki and Kyoya were… preoccupied in their room.

He ducked into his bedroom before either of the couples showed themselves and started pacing and muttering. "I need to tell somebody…but I can't, I'll get into so much trouble… But I have to, they will find out eventually. It was probably stolen by that stupid commoner that bumped into me." Hikaru glared at nothing until he remembered the Shocker he only talked to for a few moments. "She was a commoner, and a Shocker; she can help. Maybe she'll be online again and I can ask I she can do a search for me.

"It's a really big city though, and she might not even care." Hikaru stopped pacing and sighed, "Call her, and if she isn't in the room, fine. I won't tell her. If she is, I'll tell her what happened."

He went to his screen and sat down, getting himself ready for it. He turned the screen on and searched through the pictures of online members until he found her. They connected the link and there was a brief awkward silence.

"I have a problem, and you are the only Shocker I have seen outside of the Ouran Building." Hikaru blurted out after staring at her nervously.

"I figured. Shockers in general are not sought out like this. What is the problem?" Haruhi asked, fixing the scarf around her neck.

"I was…outside. Please don't report me." Hikaru asked her, trying not to seem as desperate and panicked as he felt on the inside.

"I'm not going to report you, even if that was possible. These chat rooms are the only kinds of communication from Ouran Building to the outside city. Tell me what happened." Haruhi got out a notebook and stylus to take notes on his story.

"I was outside and went to something called the 'Center' because everyone else was going. I wandered around since I didn't want to buy anything and possibly get caught. Eventually, I saw a guy looking at a jewelry stand and the shopkeeper was laying to him about the quality of the necklace.

"I walked up to them and told him she was lying in a way that was not as nice as it could have been. Afterwards, I went back to Ouran Building and realized it was stolen. 'It' being my Serial ID Card and money." Hikaru finished, looking down at his desk.

"What is your full name?" She asked, still taking notes.

"Hikaru Suhoh. ID number 4863TA." He answered.

"Huh. That's almost the exact same number as my adopted brother. Just one digit off. Anyway, it is very nice to meet you. My name is Haruhi Fujioka. I will…" She was cut off by a knock at the door behind her. "I'm busy" She called out to whoever was there. The door cracked and Hikaru saw a flash of orange hair, very similar to his own.

"Haruhi, I just wanted to apologize again for breaking my promise." The guy said, only showing a glimpse of his face.

"Kaoru, it's okay. Just go back to your room, please." Haruhi told him calmly, turning around to look at him. The door closed again and she turned back to the screen. "Sorry about the interruption."

"So that is Kaoru?" Hikaru remembered how the only other time they spoke she mistook him for that Kaoru. Haruhi nodded and shifted around the few papers in front of her.

"Here is how this will work, Hikaru. I'll get your Serial ID Card and your money back to you in two days. There is a café near the Building. It's called HiKao. Meet me there and I'll return your stuff." She told him, running a hand through her hair.

"How will you get it? That's not a lot of time." He worried, biting his lip.

"I work fast. Now if you'll excuse me, I have stuff to do." She replied before closing the connection.

"I hope this works."

* * *

Words do not describe how sorry I am. I shouldn't be setting update goals when I have so many things done. I've been incredibly drained lately, emotionally (my brother came home from college for a week), physically (I've been sick), and creatively (3 major projects due in the past week).

Song of the chapter- "Take Over, the Break's Over" by Fallout Boy


	5. The Ones Who Wait

Chapter Five

Those two days passed with much anticipation. Haruhi didn't need the extra time, but it might seem weird if Hikaru reported the lost items and she told him that she already had them. One thing she was glad she thought of was not telling Kaoru where they were going when she told him to get ready to leave the apartment.

Kaoru could tell she was up to something when she led them towards the better part of town. Despite being closer to Ouran Building, it was still covered in Dust and grime, just less so than the rest of the town. A few of the more successful places of business could afford to keep the inside area nearly completely Dust-free by having a working air lock at the entrance to take off outer layers of clothing.

"Where are we going?" He asked her for the fourth time since they started walking.

"None of your business. You'll see when we get there." She answered with the same response as the previous times he had asked. Kaoru sighed and continued walking with her, burying his hands in the pockets of his longer leather jacket.

When they arrived at HiKao, Haruhi immediately walked up to the hostess that was standing at a small podium just inside the door. She had maroon hair in ponytails and a pair of thick circular glasses with one lens cracked. She was wearing a maid's outfit, with the skirt a bit shorter, short enough to see an electro-teaser holster at her lower thigh. She was paid to keep unwanted guests out, and make sure that the guests that came in kept the café as clean as possible.

"As a reminder, all coats or outerwear must be kept here in a personal locker. You may keep any gas masks or scarves, as long as they apply under the Personal Preference law." That law was passed two years before, when a group of people weren't allowed into a certain restaurant because they refused to take off their gas masks and started a boycott. The hostess had a strong cockney accent that you could tell was partially being suppressed. Haruhi removed her gas mask and shook out the few hairs that were flattened by it. Kaoru kept his scarf on, never feeling comfortable with it off outside of the apartment.

Inside the café there were only three occupied tables, one was a woman with crimson hair sitting with a man with equally crimson hair that trailed down to the floor. The second table was occupied by a tall and skinny man in all black, with a thin black spiky Mohawk with the sides of his head shaved. On one side there was a place where he must have been in an altercation with a Shiner's gun, and it took off the skin. He wasn't wearing a gasmask but he had headphones on and he was muttering to himself.

"I'm looking for Fujioka." Haruhi told the hostess, remembering Hikaru saying that he would make the table in her name. The woman led them to a secluded booth in the corner that wasn't very noticeable, where somebody was already sitting, with a gas mask that was a little too clean.

"I was wondering if you were going to make it. You seem like the type to be early to appointments." Hikaru told her, not noticing Kaoru standing behind her until he sat down.

"Who is he?" Hikaru asked, looking at Kaoru. "I assumed you didn't have a mate by the fact I met you in a group named 'Mateless and Almost Proud'."

"Don't assume things. This is Kaoru, my roommate. Kaoru, this is somebody that you need to apologize to." She said as she retrieved the pouch of coins and Serial ID Card from her bag and slid them across the table.

"So he is the guy who called me stupid?" Kaoru asked quietly so only Haruhi could hear him. She nodded and motioned for him to get on with it. He sighed and looked up at the man sitting across the table from him.

"I'm sorry I stole your things. You made me angry at the jewelry stand, but that was no excuse for thievery." Kaoru told him, his voice slightly muffled from the thick scarf.

"I'm sorry for insulting you; I had no right to say those things." Hikaru replied when Haruhi looked up at him expectantly. She smiled slightly and messed with the collar of her blouse.

"Well, if that is all, I have stuff to do and Kaoru needs to work on that stack of repair orders he has not worked on in too long." Haruhi stated before the three stood up from the booth. "It was a shame I couldn't meet you in person under better circumstances." Haruhi told Hikaru before shaking his hand. They both let out a mental sigh of both relief in disappointment at the fact that they were not mates.

"I'm sorry for stealing your things. I didn't mean to grab something so important; I was just upset about what you said to me." Kaoru stated uncomfortably, his eyes fixated at the meticulously clean carpet.

"It's alright. Everything was properly returned. I didn't mean to be so harsh; I'm just not my friendliest in large crowds." Hikaru replied as he reached out to shake Kaoru's hand.

Kaoru grasped his hand and as soon as they made contact, the rest of the world fell away.

Hikaru nearly collapsed from the force of connecting with Kaoru. A flood of happiness and a stream of memories and thoughts overwhelmed his mind, rendering him oblivious to Haruhi's attempts at getting their attention.

* * *

"I'm not alone anymore." Was Hikaru's last coherent thought before Kaoru's hand was pulled away from his. "I need to see his face."

Kaoru was almost floating away, but Hikaru's grasp on his hand kept him grounded. He surrounded himself with the information about the man whose name he still didn't know.

"I'm not alone anymore." Was his last coherent thought before Haruhi wrenched him away from his mate.

"I'm in a hurry, Kaoru! I don't have time for you to hold hands with somebody!" She scolded as she dragged him away from the man still frozen by their table. He stared back at him and tried to pull away from Haruhi's vise-like grasp, to no avail. His mate continued to stand at the booth, in shock of all that happened.

"I need him…" Their thoughts were in sync as his roommate pulled him into the airlock coat room. The door closed behind them, blocking his view of his mate, just as he was taking his gas mask off to card his fingers through his orange hair.

* * *

I'm sorry :( I'm sure by now you have realized that when I set a schedule for updates, that means I want to update that often but it doesn't always work out. I have the next chapter written, but the ending is so incredibly awkward that I'll have to rewrite the last 300 words.

Other than that, I have mentioned two fandoms in this chapter. One is more popular than the other though. If you figure out what they are or have a guess, PM me and I'll tell you if you're right or not. I was thinking that when the entire fic is over, I can get some prizes together and the two or three people that guess the most fandoms correctly gets a prize from me :) Is that a good idea? What are your thoughts

Song of the Chapter: I Wanna Be Free by Panic! At the Disco


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